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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
~ Scooter may be big but he’ s still a baby
By KYRA ALEXANDER
Staff writer
In the canine circle of life,
‘most puppies are born, loved,
brought up, and in some point
of their lives either get spayed
or neutered, or they mate and’
have puppies and the citcle of
life continues. For one dog
this was not the case.
Buford and Jane Summitt
of Grover have been adopting
and taking care of dogs for
most of their married life.
They have 20 canines right
now. The Summitts are com-
mitted to loving and taking
care of each one, from the ba-
sics of daily feedings (which
can take up to two hours to.
do) to being sure that each dog
has all the required vaccina-
tions and veterinarian visits.
It can take a lot of time to
care for so many, but they
love their four-legged chil-
dren.
A man at Jane’s work had
an aunt who was going into a
rest home and was trying to
find a good home for her dog.
Jane thought about how life
would be for the dog if it was
put in a pound and couldn’t
bear the thought of it.
Jane adopted “Abigail”,
part dachshund and part chi-
huahua. :
Soon, Abigail became one
of the family. She became the
The Kings Mountain Herald
Nothing.
substitute “mom” to other
puppies ‘that were later
adopted. Abigail would take
care of each puppy that came
into the household, earning
the nickname “the baby sit-
ter”.
She doesn’t complain, but
she does talk - a surprising at-
tribute that sets her apart from
most dogs. Before Jane gave
her a treat one day, she heard
Abigail say, “I want one”.
With much practice this
became a habit. She says it
every time food enters the pic-
ture. It still sounds rather
“doggie”, with shades of
“Scooby Doo”, but it is defi-
nitely the words “I want one”.
One day" while Jane's
daughter, Leslie Summitt was
at her mom’s, Leslie noticed
Abigail showing signs of
pregnancy. In telling her
mother her opinion, Jane did
not concur. Abigail continued
to get bigger every week until
finally, one day her water
broke. Jane took Abigail to
their regular veterinarian.
After close inspection, the vet
gave Jane some surprising
news. It was evident that the
daddy to short little Abigail’s
pup-to-be was “Big Rusty”,
part lab and part spitz, stand-
ing about two feet high.
Due to the father being
such a large dog, the vet told
Jane she had to make a choice.
She could either wait until
Page 7B
Our Pets
hey fill our [ives with unconditional
love and wonder and whimsy and
devotion. A[l they ask in return is...
Abigail was starting to deliver
and take her to the hospital in
Gastonia, or Abigail would
have to have a C-section. The
baby was just going to be too
big for her to deliver on her
own.
Jane decided to let the vet
do the C-section and left Abi-
gail there over night. The vet
called later-and confirmed that
there was only one puppy and
that he did not think that it
would live. The puppy needed
milk in the next 24 hours,
milk she had a hard time pro-
viding.
“I had to help Abigail feed
KYRA ALEXANDER/HERALD
One-year-old Scooter, left, is pictured here with his
mother Abigail (actual size), He was about three-
fourths her size when he was born.
Here is a picture of our 5 year old dog, Sam, in
this January's snow. He loved it! He is (we think)
part collie and part golden retriever and the sweet-
est, gentlest dog ever! He belongs to Curt, Joy and
Laura Hollifield and to Steven, Christen and Eli
Blanton, all of Kings Mountain. He is special be-
cause he came from the animal rescue at Pet
Smart to our families at 3 months old. He has the
most humble nature and we love him!
the puppy every time he ate,”
Jane explained.
The puppy, soon to be
named Scooter, was three-
fourths the size of his mother
at the time of his birth. With
much tender love and care,
Scooter lived. Now almost a
year old, Scooter is three
times the size of his mother.
Even though he is so much
bigger, Abigail still treats him
like her baby by washing his
face and ears every day.
Scooter may look like his
daddy, but has the vocal tal-
ents of his mother. Now they
both say “I want one”.
* Would you like to see your
pet as our Pet of the Month?
Just send us a picture of you and your pet. Tell
us why your pet is special or how you & your pet
found each other, etc.
Each month we will choose one pet and its
person to be featured on our Critters page.
All entries will be included in a drawing at the
end of the year for a prize for your pet.
«It's easy: Stop by our office, mail it to 700 E.
Gold St., Kings Mountain NC 28086 or Email
your photo and information to us at pets.kmher-
ald@gmail.com. Please include your name and
phone number so we may contact you.
Our pets are family too
My family and I are true animal
lovers. We have always felt that our pets
were our family too, so we strive to take
the very best care of them. The first
thing you can do for your pet is offer it
plenty of love. Your pets depend on you
for all things, and their love for you is
unconditional.
This means taking care of them like
we take care 'of ourselves: plenty of fresh
water, healthy foods, and supplements.
We suggest Nordic Naturals supple-
_meénts, and one of the best supplements
you can give your pet is Omega 3. We
use Nordic Naturals high quality prod-
ucts for our own family pets, and for
ourselves! ,
Another thing your pet needs is exer-
cise as well as plenty of time for rest.
These things will help to keep your pet
as heathy as possible. Remember, a
healthy pet is a happy pet.
My personal experience has been that
my pets bring me peace I cannot find
anywhere else. They truly know the
meaning of love and friendship for life.
We currently have a black lab named
Maggie in our family. She will soon be
18 years old and she has been a A true
blessing for us.
So - for all the love and joy our pets
give to us; return it with a healthy envi-
ronment and lifestyle for them. Stop by
and see how we can-help your pet live a
long and healthy life. We hope to see
you soon.
Marsha Epley
L. Incredible Edibles, Inc.
“Love your hooch ©
from the inside out!
‘ promotes healthy heart;
joints, vision,and mental function!
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and cats too! 20 5 years of Professional Giogtring Experience.”
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159 Sellars Rd.
Kings Mountain, NC
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704-734-1020
704-730-8342
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